[Random Thursday] Random Curses

I love a good curse. But I often have issues coming up with one on the fly. So I started compiling lists of curses for when I roll up random magic items to avoid the classic “cursed sword” where the only curse is that you can’t get rid of it. Once you have a standardized curse list, curses seem to start popping up in play more often. Evil witchdoctor? Throws a curse on the party. Killed the sage? Curse baby! Random spell scroll? Oh no, curses!

Some curses are lifted straight from the Basic rulebook in the description of the Cursed Scroll. Others are adapted from the Remove Curse spell and other descriptions in other supplements. The reverse of the spell Remove Curse is typically a minor curse according to these tables. At the caster’s option, he may instead roll 1d6-2 on the “level of curse” table. Obviously, Remove Curse will reverse any of these curses. Feeble curses are often one-shot curses and won’t need to be removed as they cease doing anything after the first instance.

Level of Curse (d4)

Feeble Curse

Minor Curse

Major Curse

Holy Crap Curse

Feeble Curses (d12)

Hair falls out

Next reaction roll is at a +2 penalty

-4 penalty on your next saving throw

Lose one prepared spell

Itchiness means you suffer -2 on attack rolls while wearing armour

Miss next attack

Next spell cast will fail

Roll 1d20 under Dex whenever trying to run to avoid falling

Become convinced that one minor item is a very important magic item and will not part with it

Gradually change race to a random race (no game effects, just cosmetic)

Automatically surprised next combat

Reduce movement speed by half

Minor Curses (d12)

-3 penalty on all saving throws

-4 on all attack rolls

Prime requisite is reduced by half

+2 penalty on all reaction rolls

50% chance to be unable to act each combat round

+/- 1 on all rolls (whatever makes it worse)

Drop whatever you are holding whenever you roll the minimum result on any die